Clothes washer and drier.



No. 886,358. PATENTED MAY 5, 1908. F. A. DINSMORE.

CLOTHES WASHER AND DRIER.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG. 15. 1907.

wri/iimi .5 v Q a W A TTORNE Y5 FRANK A: DINSMORE, OF FREDONIA, NEW YORK.

CLOTHES WASEER'AND DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed Augult 1a, 1907. Serial No. 888,690.

To all whom it may concern: I

. Be it known that I, FRANK A. DINSMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fredonia, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Clothes Washer and Drier, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates toimprovements in laundry apparatus, and it has for its object to provide a machine that may be employed not only as a clothes washer, but also as a drier, the device being so simple in construction that it may be manufactured and sold at a reasonable price and is so simple in operation that it may be manipulated y almost any one without practice, while in use it thoroughl cleanses the clothes or other articles to e washed, and the drying or wringing operation may be performe without removing the clothes from the clothes receptacle.

To these and other ends, the invention comprises the novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, and set forth particularly inthe appended claims.

In the accompanyin drawing, Figure 1 is an axial section throug li a washer and drier, constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the right. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the compressor or follower on its guiding shaft.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

The present mventionis an improvement on the washin machine shown and de-' scribed in my Fatent No. 860,857 granted July 23, 1907, and its purpose is to adapt the machine for use, not only as a washer, but also as a drier whereby the clothes may be wrung without the necessity of removing them from the washing rece tacle and passing them through the usual roller wringer. The wringing operation is effected by centrifugal action induced by ra id rotation of the revoluble cylinder or has et containing the clothes, so that tearing of the clothes and breakage of buttons is avoided.

The device shown in the/present embodiment of the invention com rises a body portion 1 supported on s'uitab e legs 2 and having a semi-cylindrical receptacle 3 formed therein to receive the suds or other washing solution, a draw-off valve 4 being preferably provided in the bottom of this chamber in order that the latter may be em tied conveniently. This chamber is closed by means of a cover 5, the latter being preferably hin ed at one ed e to the body portion of the was er, at 6, and provided with a catch 7 for holdin the cover in closed position, a flange 8 on t e lower edge of the cover entering within and cooperating with the u per edges of the receptacle to form a sea ed joint. Within the chamber thus provided is mounted the clothes receptacle, the latter embodying, in the present instance, a revoluble cylinder having relatively fixed heads 9, 10 arranged in the op osite ends of a semicylindrical chamber, t e head 9 being provided with the centrally arranged outwardly extending journal 11 adapted to fit in a suitable bearlng formed in the wall at the rear of the chamber, and the flange 10 is provided with a similar forwardly extending journal 12 restin in a bearing 13 formed in the forward wa of the chamber and projecting to the exterior thereof, a ulle 14 being arranged to be connecte an disconnected relatively to this journal by means of a set screw 15, and beyond this pulley is fitted a crank 16, the latter being detachably connected to the journal by means of a set screw or nut 17.

Connecting the head of the cylinder is a cover 18 of any suitable material, a wire gauze being generally referable, for the reason that it is relative y inex ensive and it offers very little resistance to t e entrance or exit of the water relatively to the cylinder wherein the clothes are contained. In order to clot es, the cylinder is provided with a suitable door 19, the latter, in the present instance, being formed in the side of the cylinder and it may be hinged at one edge and provided with a suitable catch for retaining it in closed position during the operation of the cylinde During the washing operation, the clothes or other articles being washed lie loosely within the cylinder in order to permit the water or Washing'solution to reach them, but

ermit introduction and removal of the when the cylinder is employed as a drier, it

is necessary to so distribute the clothes within the cylinder as to balance it, and the device em loyed in the present instance for accomplisliing this purpose embodies a shaft or mandrel 20 having one end pointed, at 21, and adapted to fit\the correspondingly be ogenln recess 22, cooperating with its reduced end,

serves to center it. The compressor is movable axially of the shaft and the latter is provided with a series of apertures 24 spaced longitudinalli thereof and'ada ted to receive a pin 25, t e latter restin be ind the compressor and therebyretainmg it in the desired position of'adjustment. When the machine is employed for drying or Wringin clothes, the fol ower or compressor is placed according to the space to be occuied by the clothes to be Washed, thelatter being acked closely around the shaft in the space ormed between the follower and the head 9 of the cylinder.

During the washing operation, the cylinder is oscillated on its axis by means of the crank 16 connected directly thereto, but when it is desirable to operate the machine as a drier, it is necessary to rapidly revolve the cylinder in order that the centrifugal action will be sufficient to extract the water from the clothes within a reasonable time, and the driving devices shown in Fi s. 1 and 2 embody a comparatively large be t wheel 26 suitably journaled to turn on an extension 27 having a crank 28 by means of which it may be rotated, the belt 29 passing over this wheel and the relatively small wheel 14 .on the 'ournal of the cylinder serving to revolve t e latter with sufficient velocity to effect the drying operation. Of course, during the drying operation, thecrank 16 will be removed and 'the set screw 15 of the smaller pulley tightened, and during the washing operation.the set screw 15 ma be loosened and the crank 16 will be app ied.

A laundry machine constructed in accordance with my present invention serves the dual purposes of a washing machine, and a drier or wringer,- the cylinder being adapted to receive the clothes through the door therein and being subjected to the action of the washing solution during the relatively slow oscillating movements of the cylinder, the

0 en covering thereon permitting access of t e solution to the clothes; and rior to the g or wringing operation, t e washing so ution is withdrawn from the rece tacle or chamber throu h the drawn-off 000 or plug 4, so that the c amber is empty and forms a receptacle to receive the li uid extracted from the clothes by centrifuga action during the relatively high velocity of rotation of the cylinder, the shaft and its cooperat' com pressor or follower serving to lib fd the clothes closely packed and centered and thus prevents vibration during the drying of wringing operation; and the driving devices provide convenient means for operating the machine either as a washer or a wringer.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a suitable receptacle, of a clothes receiving cylinder revolubly mounted therein, a shaft removably fitted axially in the cylinder and having a series of transversely extending apertures spaced longitudinally thereof, a ollower adjustable ongitudinallyof the said shaft, and a pin adapted to fixthe apertures in the shaft and to cooperate ith the follower and retain the latter in adjusted position.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a suitable receptacle having a cover, of a clothes receiving receptacle revolubly mounted within the receptacleand its cover embodying a pair of suitably spaced heads having a perforated covering connecting them, one of the heads having an axially arranged recess therein, a removable shaft having a reduced end ada ted to cooperate with the recess, and a f0 ower adjustable longitudinally of said shaft and adapted to confine the clothes between it and one of the relatively fixed heads of the cylinder.

3. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a suitable receptacle adapted to contain a washing solution and to receive liquid expelled during the wringing operation ofa-cl0thes receiving cylinder revolubly mounted within the rece tacle, a shaft removably fitted axially of t e cylinder, a follower slidably mounted on said shaft, means for securing the follower at different positions of adjustment on the shaft,

means for rotating the cylinder durin the washing operation and means for revo ving the cylinder at a relatively high velocity independently of the operating means employed during the washing operation.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 4 my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. DINSMORE.

Witnesses:

OLIVE P. JENKINS, EDNA L. SMITH. 

